Category: North American Racing

Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) won his second race of the weekend in Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas) on Sunday afternoon.

Recording the fast lap in yesterday’s Race 2, Sherlock led the field down the starting grid. With Ryan Shehan (No. 66 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) to his outside, Sherlock drove wide into Turn 1 to take a commanding lead of the race.

Shehan faced immediately competition from Patrick Woods-Toth (No. 27 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3), but within a lap, they sorted the running order into a nice straight line, with less than two seconds separating the top-three teammates. An early safety period gave Shehan a second shot at Sherlock, but Sherlock was able to protect his line and maintain the race lead. With the frontrunners once again fanned out, Woods-Toth was running third when he went through the grass in Turn 11 and spun across the track before coming to a rest in Turn 12. Another full-course caution ensued as the Canadian’s car required a tow, and the clock ran out before the race was able to resume.

As they crossed the finish line, Sherlock led the field, with Shehan in his mirrors in second. Nicole Havrda (No. 6 Valley Kitchens Ltd / Colonial Countertops Ltd Ligier JS F3) snuck into third to claim the final podium position.

“It was a tough race,” said Sherlock. “I was under a lot of pressure from Ryan [Shehan] the whole time. I was trying to hit my marks the best I could, and luckily, I came away with a win.”

FR Americas takes on Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for its next round, June 20-23.

RESULTS

Nicolas Stati (No. 15 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) cruised to victory in Formula 4 United States Championship’s (F4 U.S.) Race 1 at Road America on Saturday afternoon. The race marked the debut of the new Ligier JS F422 chassis with its Ligier Storm powerhouse, and served as the season opener for the 2024 F4 U.S. season.

In a race that stayed green from flag to flag, Stati cruised to victory after bringing the field to the green flag in a rolling start. In qualifying, the top-four drivers were only separated by 0.637s, and the race battle started out just as tight, with drivers racing two- and three-wide toward the first turn. While working the first lap, Alex Crosbie (No. 41 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) spun off the exit of Turn 6, dropping him from the third position.

Pablo Benites Jr. (No. 44 Scuderia Buell Ligier JS F422) had rolled off fifth, but was able to capitalize on the opportunity to move up to third by the completion of the first lap. Stati pulled away, as Benites Jr. looked to apply pressure to second-place runner Daniel Quimby (No. 24 Cruise America / MIR Raceline / FIJI Airways / GalvanizeIns Ligier JS F422). With the two racing side by side, Connor Roberts (No. 46 ApexSpeed.com / Entrophy Cellars Ligier JS F422) was able to close in, making a three-way battle for second.

With Benites Jr. dropping two tires off the racing surface on the exit of Turn 12, Quimby drove away, and Roberts pulled on the gearbox of Benites Jr.’s No. 44. Roberts pulled next to Benites Jr. as they raced down the frontstretch, completed the pass as they entered Turn 1 and never looked back. With the clock ticking down, Stati, Quimby and Roberts all marched forward, eventually taking the checkered flag in that order.

“It was a great race,” said Stati “I controlled the race from the beginning—the car was great, and I was able to maintain the lead with a stable gap. I really like this Ligier JS F422 car. It’s more stable to drive and easier to maintain quick lap times than some of the other cars I’ve driven in championships around the world. The engine sounds really cool. It’s just a lovely car to drive.”

F4 U.S. will take on the 14 turns of Road America for Race 2 Sunday morning at 10:25 a.m. CT. A live feed from the Road America Jumbotron will be available at YouTube.com/SpeedTourTV.

RESULTS

Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) earned his first-career win in Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas) at Road America on Saturday afternoon. After an intense battle with his teammate, Patrick Woods-Toth (No. 27 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3), during this morning’s race, the two once again found themselves in a heated contest for victory in Race 2. As Woods-Toth ran into trouble late in the race, it was Sherlock who cruised to victory, taking the win with an 8.073-second margin over second-place Ryan Shehan (No. 66 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3).

After winning Race 1 from the pole, Patrick Woods-Toth once again led the field down the starting grid for Race 2 this afternoon. With Sherlock to his outside in the second starting position, the two raced side by side toward the first turn when the lights went out. Not to be left out, Shehan pulled up in the mix, making it three wide as they raced toward Turn 5. Woods-Toth ultimately emerged the leader, but Sherlock stayed tight on his gearbox. Driving deep into Turn 5, Sherlock overdrove the corner and went wide to give Woods-Toth a one-second advantage.

Determined to make up his lost ground, Sherlock stayed focused, hitting his marks. As the race reached halfway, Sherlock was back on Woods-Toth’s rear wing. They raced wheel to wheel headed toward Turn 5, but Woods-Toth held the advantage as they raced through the corner. As they came to Turn 6, Sherlock had the preferred line on the inside and was able to complete the pass and start pulling away. As the clocked ticked down, Woods-Toth’s pace slowed before an off in Turn 11 sent him down pit road to the attention of his crew. Removed from contention, Shehan inherited the second position, while Sherlock found himself with a six-second advantage.

As they crossed the line, it was Sherlock in first, followed by Shehan in second. Nicolas Ambiado (No. 55 TLink / Allegro Ligier JS F3) crossed the line in third. However, a post-race steward’s decision determined that Ambiado jumped the start, and the driver was assessed a five-second time penalty, which relegated him to fourth in the final results. With the decision, Nicole Havrda (No. 6 Valley Kitchens Ltd / Colonial Countertops Ltd Ligier JS F3) moved to third on the final results sheet.

“[Patrick Woods-Toth and I] had a good battle at the start; I think something happened to [Patrick] after we made contact, but I don’t believe I had any fault in that. After that, I put my head down and ran the fastest and most consistent laps I could. I have to thank the whole Crosslink Kiwi team—Jamie, Oscar, Garry, Gill, Teena—my uncle Tony and my mom back home.”

FR Americas wraps up their weekend at Road America with Race 3 Sunday afternoon. Fans are invited to join the drivers and cars on pit lane for a fan walk at 12:00 p.m. CT, before the lights go out for their final race of the weekend. A live feed from the Road America Jumbotron will continue to be available throughout the weekend at YouTube.com/SpeedTourTV.

RESULTS

Acura and Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US) will enter a new Acura Integra Type S DE5 in this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The Acura will be entered in the Time Attack 1 category, driven by IndyCar and IMSA veteran Katherine Legge.

HRC’s newest race car, the DE5 was developed by Acura’s North American racing arm from the production Acura Integra Type S premium sports compact, and is the latest in a line of highly successful HRC-developed touring cars, including the versions of the 10th generation Honda Civic Si and Type-R; and the 11th generation Civic Si FE1.

Eligible for competition in multiple racing series, the Integra Type S DE5 made its competition debut earlier this year with podium finishes in the opening rounds of the SRO Touring Car America series at Sonoma Raceway and Sebring International Raceway.

“Motorsports is a critical component of Acura’s commitment to Precision Crafted Performance, and its Pikes Peak efforts are a pure expression of this ethos,” said John Whiteman, HRC commercial Manager. “All of our Acura race team entries are prepared and crewed by our engineers to further sharpen their performance-focused skills. This is the performance brand’s 14th consecutive year competing at Pikes Peak, with the Acura team amassing an impressive 12 first place in-division finishes, 27 podiums and multiple records.”

Legge, who will be attempting to qualify for her fourth Indianapolis 500 this weekend, will be adding Pikes Peak to an impressive list of ‘firsts’ for the 43-year-old British native, who now makes her home in the Atlanta area.
Recently inducted as the first female member of the Grand Prix of Long Beach Walk of Fame, Legge is a multi-race winner in IMSA competition, holds the record for the fastest qualifying effort for a woman in Indianapolis 500 history, set in 2023; was the first woman to lead overall in both Champ Car (2006) and American Le Mans Series (2013) competition; and was the first woman to win a major open-wheel race in North America in 2005.

“This is a race that I’ve wanted to compete in since I first heard of it, which is for as long as I can remember,” Legge said. “The legacy of this event is enormous, and so many famous drivers have tackled the mountain: the Unsers, the Dallenbachs – including my friend Paul – Parnelli Jones, Mario Andretti, Rick Mears and Michele Mouton. I can’t wait to get there! It’s magical and something I’m not taking lightly!”

Like the 11th generation Civic Si FE1 race car, the Integra Type S DE5 is designed, developed, and assembled inside Honda’s state-of-the-art North American facilities employing groundbreaking technologies in weld, body construction, painting, final assembly and quality confirmation to ensure the highest levels of precision and craftsmanship.

The Acura Integra Type S DE5 will be powered by a modified version of the factory 2.0-liter turbocharged four cylinder K20C8 engine. The racing version of the engine, co-developed by HRC US and HRC Japan produces in excess of 360hp. That power is then directed to the wheels via a six-speed sequential, paddle-shift transmission to HRC US developed suspension and brakes. The body shell is purpose built from a body-in-white which deletes all unneeded street vehicle components – such as soundproofing, underbody coating and seam sealers – and is fitted with a safety roll cage; then completed with aerodynamic components and cooling upgrades.

In addition to the Integra driven by Legge, the Honda-associate run Honda of America Racing Team (HART) will be returning to Pikes Peak with an Acura Integra A-Spec driven by Paul Hubers from Honda’s Auto Development Center (ADC) in Ohio. The HART Integra has received key modifications to the powerplant and chassis to enhance its performance in this year’s 102nd running of the ‘Race to the Clouds.’

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is one of America’s longest running motorsports competitions. Since 1916, drivers from all over the world, in a wide variety of vehicles and from multiple motorsports disciplines, race against the clock as they take on the 156-turn, 12.42-mile mountain course, starting at 9,390 feet and climbing to the 14,115-foot summit.